http://library.chattanoogastate.edu-----697-4448 

ENGL2410: Literature of the Western World--Ms. Shawn Brabham
Library Instructor:  Tisa Houck

Assignment:  A description of the assignment topics may be found here.

Search for literary criticism from electronic databases.
            (You will need current passwords to access databases from off-campus.)

1. Start by finding background information about the author and/or the work, including themes, style, technique, etc.  Use:

MagillOnLiterature
    Type in the title of the work OR author's name, last name first.

Examples:

Beowulf. By: Unknown; Epic; Narrative poetry; Poetry; Magill’s Literary Annual 2001 (Work Analysis)
Notes:  This title is not held locally
HTML Full Text   (In your results list, click the link to view and print the text of the article.)

Orlando furioso. By: Ludovico Ariosto; Narrative poetry; Poetry; Romance, medieval; Masterplots, Revised Second Edition (Work Analysis)
Notes:  This title is not held locally
HTML Full Text  
 

2. Look for literary biographies, literary criticism, magazine and journal articles, work overviews, and websites in:

Literature Resource Center 
    Try both the AUTHOR search and the TITLE search for your specific work. 

Examples:

Hare, R. M., "Plato's Achievement," in his Plato, Oxford University Press, 1982, pp. 69-75. Reprinted in World Literature Criticism Supplement, Vol. 2. Reproduced in Literature Resource Center.   (In your results list, click the link to view and print the text of the article.)

Petrarch
 Foscolo, Ugo, "A Parallel between Dante and Petrarch," in Essays on Petrarch, John Murray, 1823, pp. 163-208. Reprinted in Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, Vol. 20. Reproduced in Literature Resource Center. 

3. Use the Literary Index to find critical analyses in these books from our reference collection.  These may be especially useful:

• Drama Criticism (Ref PN 1601.D59)* not included in LRC

• Poetry Criticism (Ref PN 1010.P499)

• Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism (Ref PN 681.5.C57)

• European Writers (Ref PN 501.E9)    

Example: For Medea and for The Miller's Tale, you will find these volumes and page numbers to look for when you come to the library:

Classical and Medieval Literature Criticism, volume(s) 23:103-04, 113, 119, 121-23, 127-29, 132, 171, 173-77, 180-82, 185, 193-95, 201-04, 207, 218; 51:185, 197, 204

Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, volume(s) 17:55, 168, 170, 183-88, 191, 193-94, 197-98, 201-02, 209, 217, 220, 233-35; 56:24, 43, 58, 65
Poetry Criticism, volume(s) 19:11, 13-14, 40, 44, 54, 61

4. Look for a few articles of criticism from magazines and journals in:

MasterFILE Premier
   
   Type the author's last name and the "title of your work" (use quotation marks for multi-word titles) OR type only "the title of the work," OR combine terms with and, ex. beowulf and heroism.

Examples:

Training for Monsters. By: Podles, Mary Elizabeth. American Enterprise, Sep2000, Vol. 11 Issue 6, p4, 2p; Abstract: Examines the characteristics of a hero. Description of the heroism of Beowulf; Analysis of the virtues of heroes. (AN 3647615)
Notes:  This title is not held locally
HTML Full Text  PDF Full Text  (348K)  (In your results list, click the link to view and print the text of the article.)

Orlando Furioso in Milton: Heroic flights and true heroines. By: Sims, James H.. Comparative Literature, Spring97, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p128, 23p; Abstract: Discusses the connections between characters and events in John Milton's biblical epics and the poem `Orlando Furioso' by Ludovico Ariosto. Understanding and admiration for Ariosto's romance; Allussions adding touches of beauty, adding glimpses of personification; and casting shadows of vulnerability; Depth and breadth from Ariostan presence. (AN 9707191674)
Notes:  This title is held locally
HTML Full Text  PDF Full Text  (1.1MB)  

AND

Religion & Philosophy Database

Choose <Keyword Search> and Type the author's last name and the "title of your work" (use quotation marks for multi-word title) OR type only "the title of the work," OR combine terms with and, ex. luke and gospel. 

Be sure to check the full text box!

Example:

The case of the Pharisee and the tax collector: justification and social location in Luke's Gospel. (Critical Essay) Stephanie Harrison.
   Currents in Theology and Mission (ISSN: 0098-2113) April 2005 v32 i2 p99(13)  
                       (In your results list, click the link to view and print the text of the article.)
 

5. Find critical analyses from backfiles of scholarly journals in:

JSTOR
    a. Click on the <Advanced search> link to the left of the search box.
    b. Search by ALL OF THESE WORDS and type in the title of your work or idea AND/OR the writer's name, ex. plato republic justice or othello adultery.  Do not use words like "and" in your search terms. 
    c. Narrow your search to only Articles type by checking that box.

Examples:

On Plato's Conception of Justice in the Republic  (In your results list, click the link to view and print the text of the article.)
M. B. Foster
The Philosophical Quarterly > Vol. 1, No. 3 (Apr., 1951), pp. 206-217

Unproper Beds: Race, Adultery, and the Hideous in Othello
Michael Neill
Shakespeare Quarterly > Vol. 40, No. 4 (Winter, 1989), pp. 383-412

6. Use these research guides for lists of reference books, other databases, and reliable Internet sites:

The Bible

Classical Literature

Mythology

Shakespeare

Search the catalog for books to check out or view online.

• Click  the tab
• Try separate keyword searches for the author's name and/or the title of the work, as well as concepts/ideas.
•  Check the STATUS for books that are available to check out.
• Click on the blue link to see complete information about the book to use in a work's cited page.  
• Entries with Online netLibrary Book Collection  as the Library Location are electronic books. (Use passwords for off-campus access.)

  Use only reliable Internet sites (Remember to look at the research guides in #6 above for more websites.)

When using the Internet, use only sites that are authoritative and reliable, such as:

Online Literary Criticism Collection

Links to over 4,000 critical and biographical resources dealing with American and British literature from pre-1500 to the twentieth century. Each link is annotated and can be accessed by author, work or literary period. The links are selected "for their overall usefulness" for high school and college students. A literary criticism guide and a pathfinder have been provided for further exploration of Web and print resources. From The Internet Public Library.
http://www.ipl.org/div/litcrit/

LitLinks

Within the genres of fiction, poetry, essays, drama, and critical theory are lists of authors, each with a short list of annotated links to Web sites followed by a brief biography taken from one of the Bedford/St. Martin's reference texts. Additionally there are links to information on literary periods, from medieval to contemporary. Although some links may be broken, the many that work lead to authoritative information on the author or literary period.
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/litlinks/

Cite your sources correctly by following the examples in these documents.

MLA Citation Examples (Electronic Databases)

MLA Citation Examples (WWW Sites)
 

If you need assistance, email Tisa Houck or call 697-4436 for reference help.

Tisa Houck
11/05